How to straighten a beard- An ultimate outlook: Growing a beard is though tedious but maintaining it is more difficult than growing one. Although all beard types are difficult to maintain, curly beards add-on extra problems to the one existing. Even though they create a thick desirable look, but this style is accompanied by problems like tangles, hygiene, and texture.

This article enlightens all procedures and tools that will aid an individual in not only straighten the beard but also its beard follicles.

Technique 1: Wax, cream, and oil usage

The use of products like beard wax, cream, and oil available in the market are also seen to enhance the process of straightening the beard.

#1: Apply beard oil post the daily shower.

Beard oil is a powerful combination of carrier and essential oils. While the carrier oils nourish and trigger the facial hair growth, the essential oils impart fragrance and the extra vitamins to a beard oil. Some of the common carriers used in beard oils include argan, coconut, grapeseed, and jojoba oil, apricot kernel or sweet almond. The range of essential oils is endless as one can extract essential oil out of every plant and each extraction will have a unique scent.

How to use:

• Tap out the oil into the palm and rub the hands together for 10 seconds.
• Later, rub the hands uniformly on a slightly damp hair with the fingers from the roots to the tips.
• The amount of oil that needs to be used depends on the length, texture, and density of the beard.

Some of the top beard oil available in the market include Beardbrand Tea Tree Beard Oil, Leven Rose Fragrance-Free Beard Oil & Conditioner, Honest Amish Leave-in Conditioner, Cedarwood Beard Oil Conditioner for men by Beau Brummell, The Gentlemen’s Beard Oil and Conditioner Softener, and Clubman 2-in-1 Conditioner.

#2: Condition the beard once a week during the shower.

Like beard oil, the conditioner also aid in moisturizing the facial hair and in turn eases to style and straighten the beard.

How to use:

• Use both the palms to gently lather the beard with the conditioner and massage it in with the fingertips.
• Allow standing for 1-5 minutes before rinsing it out.
• Pat dry with a towel.

The top conditioners available in the shops, as well as online, include Polished Gentleman Shampoo and Conditioner, All American Gentle Beard Slave, Smooth Viking Beard Conditioner for Men, Scotch Porter-Beard Conditioner, and Green Leaf Naturals Aloe Vera Beard Conditioner.

#3: Beard wax application

Beard wax is a light wax that adds shape and weight to the beard. It’s designed to not only sculpt the beard from frizzing but also to hold the beard style. A beard wax aids a guy in styling his beard.

How to use:

• Scrape a pea-sized piece of beard wax out of its container with aid of the thumbnail.
• Place it into in the palm of one hand and rub it into both palms until it’s a smooth, buttery consistency is obtained.
• This product can be applied by rubbing the palms of the hands along the sides of the beard.

Few of the top beard wax brands available in the market are Honest Amish extra grit beard wax, Gold-Dachs Hungarian Beard Wax, Man’s Face Stuff Beard Wax, The Bearded Goon’s Beard Wax, and Honest Amish Original Beard Wax.

Note: It is generally recommended to rub the hands downward in the direction of the beard flow.

#4: Beard Balm use.

Beard balm is the lovechild of oil and wax, it has the conditioning components that helps in reviving the beard with the hold of wax. Like the waxes and oil, it comes in many scents. They are a little less subtle than the wax because of the oil composition that it possesses. While balm has the holding elements of wax, it’s not as strong so balm application is best for shorter beards.

Some of the best beard balms that are worthy for a beard include Honest Amish, Seven Potions, Smooth Viking Beard Balm With Shea Butter & Argan Oil, and Rocky Mountain Barber Beard Balm.

Technique 2: Styling tools usage post showering

Styling tools are also seen to play a critical role in straightening the facial hair.

a) Brush the beard using a blow dryer with a straightening piece.

Like women, men can also use a blow dryer post a shower. A blow dryer is a useful tool for men simply attempting to achieve a straighter beard.

How to use:

• Attach the straightening piece and set the blow dryer to a low speed and medium heat.
• Gently brush the hair outward from the center of the face to separate clumps, concentrating more on the messiest areas first.
• Continue brushing the facial hair until the straightening piece flows smoothly through the beard.
• Use the fingers to untangle messy and hard areas.

Note:

• A blow dryer with a nozzle attachment and a boar-bristle brush can also be used to dry the facial hair.
• Increase the speed and heat of the dryer based on the requirement. The faster the speed and higher the heat, the straighter the hair will come out, but there is a higher risk of damaging the hair or burning the face. For guys who tend to straighten the facial hair often stylist advise sticking to a low speed and moderate heat.
• Apply a texture paste before blow-drying to increase the usage control. Rub a dime-sized drop into the hands and apply it using uniformly on the beard with the aid of one’s palms.
• The key technique to follow during the beard blow drying is to keep the motions in up and out directions.

One can purchase straightening pieces from appliance and electronics stores that sell straightening irons.

b) Switching to the open dryer attachment and continuing the straightening process.

After combing the hair for a couple of minutes with the straightening piece, switch to the open attachment for more heat flow. Aim the dryer outward from the center of the face. At the same time, drag all the fingers but the thumb down the beard in the direction of the airflow. Remember to drag the fingers in a gentle scratching motion.

c) Comb the beard down with a fine comb to enhance a straight flow.

Always move outward from the center of the face. Brush gently to avoid pulling the remaining tangled areas. Drag the fingers down the beard every now and then.

d) Apply a mini-straightening iron to the beard to wind off.

Mini-straightening irons are advised and designed to use for short hair and can be purchased from most of the beauty product suppliers.

How to use:

• Pull down sections of the beard with the thumb and two fingers, with about 1 to 2 inches of hair between the fingers and chin.
• Pinch along the length of the hair from top to bottom with the straightener once in a slow motion, beginning from the top.
• Clip up two sections of the beard to open the face. Once the straightening process of the other portions of the beard is completed, remove the clips from the remaining sections and straighten them.

#2: Flatiron application.

Another tool that will help in achieving better and straighter facial hair outcome is the flat iron usage. Flat irons are seen to even the most unruly and curly beard follicles.

How to use:

• Blow dry the hair completely. Since a flat iron is effectively two hot plates that are being pressed together any water found along the hair is seen to lead to steam damage.
• Once the beard is dry, to initially straighten it out comb it downwards. Later open the flat iron and get it very close to the skin (be careful not to touch the skin as it will burn it) and then close the clamps.
• Then make a slow downward motion towards the tip of the follicles.
• Continue this motion until all the beard follicles are completely flattened and the beard looks straight.

Note:

• When heating up the flat iron, make sure that it’s placed on a flat water-free surface and place it away from kids.
• Refrain from stopping at a point to for a long period.  Doing so is seen to completely kill the shaft leading to nearly immediate breakage or severe warping of the follicle is noticed which can lead to unintended styling consequences.
• Avoid using a flat iron on a wet beard, this is seen to effectively boil the water along the shaft which in turn causes steam damage. Steam damage is linked to destroying the integrity of the hair follicle that will need to be cut for issue resolution.

Some of the budget-friendly mini flat irons include Conair MiniPRO 1/2-inch Ceramic Flat Iron, 6th Sense 2-in-1 Mini Straightening & Curling Iron,  NexGadget Rechargeable Mini Cordless Flat Iron, and AMOVEE Mini Flat Iron.

Technique 3: Natural techniques to straighten facial hair

#1: Beard relaxer

Another option is the application of a beard relaxing cream. Applying this to the beard will straighten it permanently. This yields a forever-change. However, due to genetics, the beard will keep growing curly, so after a few months, one may need to go back and apply the relaxing agent to the new grown facial hair (not for the old growth that has already been straightened with the relaxer). This stuff does not damage the beard! It is designed to fortify the beard hairs and make healthier. However, better results are visible if used in combination with the beard straightening iron.

How to use:

• * Wash the beard with a beard relaxing shampoo.
• * With the use of disposable gloves, divide the facial hair into small sections and apply the beard relaxing cream to each beard section, while avoiding to get it to contact with the skin.
• *Use a beard comb and spread the relaxer across the beard.
• * Allow to stand for 30 minutes and rinse the beard relaxer out, without shampooing the beard.
• * Dry the beard with a blow-dryer, Refrain using a towel as this will remove the cream.
• * Straightening iron needs to be used post drying the beard to iron the curls out of it.
• * Finally, use a beard shampoo to wash out the beard relaxer.
• * This process needs to be repeated thrice for visible outcomes.
• * Post every beard relaxer application process, apply beard conditioner and rinse it out post 30 minutes and towel dry the beard.

Two of the top-rated beard relaxers include Bio Ionic hair straightening system and PhytoSpecific hair relaxer.

#2: By brushing the beard out.

The tools required for this process include a quality beard-brush, a hair-dryer, and silicone cream (available in many drugstores).

How to use:

• Gently apply silicone cream to the beard when it is slightly damp from washing and conditioning.
• Now use the beard-brush and blow dryer to groom and set the beard.
• The silicone cream, when set in the hair, will aid in a straighter facial hair for the rest of the day.
• Establish this morning routine for a well-groomed beard all day long.
• Beard balm is a good addition for maintaining a straight beard all day because of its holding powers.
• The best beard balms that make curly beards easier to straighten are those made with avocado and cocoa butter.

Note:

• Refrain from using a hot blow-dryer; hot air tends to make the hair brittle.
• Avoid rubbing excess silicone cream on the beard.
• It is recommended to make use of the coolest setting as much as possible.
• Gently work in by following the direction of the hair growth.
• Always use a good beard oil to keep the hair soft.

Pointers that Will Help in Maintaining a Soft and Straight Beard

The below tips will effectively help in not only softening the beard but will also aid in maintaining healthy and straight facial hair.

1. Refrain from using products that contain alcohol. Alcohol is seen to dry the skin and hair, which in turn leads to split ends, savage beard, and scarily wrinkles.
2. Pay attention to the composition of the face soap that an individual uses. It’s is strongly advised to use products containing natural ingredients and it’s a good practice to research the products that guy intends to use.
3. Avoid applying beard oil or balm on wet beard. Following this practice will not allow the beard to absorb the product effectively as the water is seen to dilute the oils and will also prevent the uniform spreading of the product across the beard.

4 Avoid going to bed with a wet beard. Make time to dry it with a towel or with the blow dryer.

5. The application of a beard oil should be preferred to a beard balm during the bedtime. Due to the bee wax composition, the balm tends to give weird beard shapes during sleep.
6. Refrain using the beard oil or balm on a dirty beard.  Do not mix the grooming products with dust and debris as they are seen to clog the pores which in turn is seen to lead to other skin problems.
7. Choose sawcut combs over cheap plastic. Cheap plastic combs are not smooth enough and are seen to damage the beard. They are also seen to cause split ends and can make the beard frizzy, messing the well-groomed look.
8. Trim the beard or use scissors to cut out the split ends. This will give a softer beard and a healthier look.

Is Straightening The Facial Hair Worth it?

Everyone man has his own ideas about personal style. Many men will like to have a wild bushy beard. But for men who find excessively curly facial hair just too messy or simply prefer the look of a straight, smooth beard then they need to be prepared to work for it.

For guys with naturally curled beard, they will need to dedicate time every day to force the hair into shape keeping the beard from suffering damage.

If a man is ready to use the right products and methods regularly and is happier with the beard straightened then they can confidently try the methods enlightened above.

A point to be pondered when using chemicals or hair straighteners is to refrain from burning the beard and skin. Stylist recommends opting for natural methods without heat to straighten a curly beard.

Beard straightening is not different from any other personal grooming habits that an individual has. It is worth to look the way you think is best. so, gentlemen, make the most out of those beards!